For the first time
by SwanQueenFanatic
Summary: (Alternative Universe where they first meet at the faculty.) The first time Emma saw Regina Mills, she was late for her class. That's when she became an obsession that will soon be shared by the brunette.


**Hi everybody !**

 **Today I post an OS that I wrote in French and then translated because it didn't sound good in it. As always, I had it corrected by darkswanouat (thank you so much beauty !). I hope you'll like it. It's possible that you'll be a little bit frustrated at the end (mouahah). I had great time writing it so enjoy !**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Once Upon A Time, and the inspiration for this OS came from my little sister (who masters the art of stalking ;)).**

 **Enjoy !**

* * *

The first time Emma saw Regina Mills, she was late for her class. Being on time had never been one of her fortes, and being a college student wasn't going to change that.

When she pushed open the door to the auditorium, her cheeks were reddened with embarrassment. It was one thing to be late to your first class; it was another to do it in front of eight hundred students and a Doctor in constitutional law. However, the first thing she noticed was not the hundreds of eyes staring at her, no, the first thing she noticed were the eyes that were not. They were owned by a beautiful brunette, hair down to her shoulders, sitting in the first row. Back straight, glasses on her nose, pen in hand and notepad in front of her. She seemed to drink the teacher's words. Emma stopped herself to contemplate this strange creature. Never before had she seen someone look that pretty with glasses, being so serious it was almost comical. But Emma didn't want to laugh, she felt like she had been charmed, and maybe she had.

"Miss, I don't usually point out lateness but I would appreciate it if you could take a seat now."

It was only at this very moment she realised that she had been staring for a little bit too long. She blushed furiously, and after a few apologies, she started walking to the stairs. This was when they shared a look for the first time. What she saw was a look full of disdain and disregard for the person who dared interrupt the class. She felt brown eyes following her as she climbed the stairs. She smiled and sat down.

"Intriguing." She thought.

* * *

The second time Emma made eye contact with Regina, she was late again. Less, however. The teacher wasn't there yet, or at least, had not started the class. This time, she didn't care about the others' looks. She was only looking for the brunette's one. And she found it. Just as disdainful as the day before, but without realising why, it made her smile. She didn't wait anymore and took a seat.

At the end of the class, she was the first to stand up. It wasn't because she wanted to get out sooner, no. It was pretty much the opposite. She wanted to see her again, she wanted to lock eyes with this mysterious girl. But when she got down the stairs, she was talking with the teacher. She admired her shape, her long, toned legs enhanced by a pencil skirt and heels. Few students dressed like her. She smiled from behind her shining black hair and left the room. Regina wasn't there anymore, the only thing remaining was the smile that didn't leave her lips.

* * *

On the third day, Emma was on time, even a little bit early. When she came in, only half of the auditorium was full. Her sight fell on the first row. She was there, like always.

Her notepad was already on the table, as were her pens, just waiting to be used. She wasn't wearing her glasses yet, and Emma guessed she wouldn't put them on until the teacher's arrival. Her face was even more delicate without them, her serious appearance fading, letting her regal and proud attitude take advantage.

Regina looked at the clock with obvious impatience, was she waiting for class to begin that much? While Emma lost herself in contemplation, the brunette turned around and crossed her sight. Despite the distance between them, Emma could see that she was trying to prevent herself from smiling. She turned her back on her and went to sit down. It was only when she was sure that Regina couldn't see her that she let a smile grow on her lips.

This time, Emma took her time to pack her things. There was no hurry. If Regina had to talk to the teacher then she would wait for her, to examine her a little longer. Often she told herself that she shouldn't do that, that this curiosity for the girl was almost morbid, that she had no right to stare at her. But then she looked into her eyes, she glimpsed her face, saw her push up her glasses… And there were no more doubts.

The auditorium was almost empty when Emma finally stood. The teacher was circled by students. In the crowd she looked for the brunette, but she was not there. She furrowed her eyebrows and rushed to the exit. And she saw her, she was passing the door of the faculty, her bag on her shoulder, lost in the crowd of students.

The blonde was frustrated, but she didn't lose faith. After all, there was class the following day.

* * *

The following morning, Emma was there a little earlier than the day before. She was resolute to get closer to the brunette. Unsurprisingly, she was already there. Everything set up, just like every day. She could have been spending the night here; it wouldn't astonish Emma.

She smiled and sat on a side row. For the first time, she could see her from where she was seated. A little voice in her head told her that this was not a good idea, that she wouldn't be attentive in class. But she didn't care, today she would let her mind drift. She set up her things and stared at her. Regina wasn't talking to anyone, she wasn't reading, she wasn't even looking at her phone. She was waiting. Arms straight on the desk in front of her. Emma wanted to go and talk to her; she seemed lonely. But when she was about to stand, the teacher walked into the room, and the moment was gone.

The class had started a few minutes ago, but Emma hadn't heard anything. She was focused on Regina, her eyes not leaving her for a second, except to change page as the teacher spoke. As she stared at the brunette, she watched her taking notes on everything the professor said, contemplating her strictness and her posture. If she wasn't aware that she was around her age, Emma would probably have said that she was a politician or a businesswoman. This made her smile, because deep inside her, she knew that Regina Mills was a nineteen year old girl just like the others.

After an hour, she grew tired of looking at her, her seriousness making it dreary. Regina must have felt it, because when Emma looked away, she turned around.

She looked for her and found her. This curious blonde with this emerald look… The hint of a smile was on her face before she returned to her work.

The end of class came sooner than expected. She gathered her things as quickly as she could and waited in front of the door. Hidden by the crowd of exiting students, Regina couldn't see her. But Emma could distinguish her. She saw her form put her stuff in her bag, put her glasses back in their case, and stand up to take the second exit, the one at the back of the auditorium. That was not expected. She smiled, feeling like she was playing a game, the cat running after the mouse, and the brunette seemed to be enjoying it as much as Emma was.

She tried to follow her but the crowd wouldn't allow her, and soon, Regina was gone. Her smile grew even wider, she had found an opponent at her level, and she was delighted.

* * *

The last day of the first week had come way too soon for Emma. The weekend was already here and she knew today would be the last time she would see Regina until the next Monday. When she came into the room, Regina was not there. Her stuff was on the table, her notepad, her pens. Even her glasses were there. But she was nowhere to be seen.

The blonde decided to take a seat a few rows behind her and started pulling out her things. Minutes went by, and the teacher was there. Regina still wasn't in her seat. Emma started to worry; she was never late – as far as she could tell, because they had only been in class together for a week – but before her thoughts went to atrocious and deathly scenarios, the brunette came into the auditorium and went to sit. The teacher gave her a weak smile; he had probably noticed her usual seriousness. What he didn't notice was how she scanned the room. Nobody knew, but she was secretly looking for the blonde every morning. She chased the long, blonde and wavy hair, and especially the eyes that fascinated her. They were so different from what she was used to seeing. They were full of kindness, sincerity, and a hint of innocence. Innocence that had woken up the playful side of Regina. She wanted to play with Emma, she wanted to play her game. She wanted to live this – unreal and inexistent – story with her. So every morning she looked for her. And every morning when Emma turned her back on her, she smiled.

Emma was watching this enigma with joy, she was imagining the reasons why she was late; she guessed that she was talking on the phone about something important enough to make her arrive late to class. Her mind was drifting; she wondered how Regina's voice sounded. Probably sensual, full of confidence. Maybe cold at the beginning, but becoming sweeter as time went by. Just like her face.

Her smile didn't leave her face, she was staring into nothingness, soothed by her imagination. Then she felt an elbow on her arm. It was unwanted, her neighbour bringing her back to earth. He apologised but she didn't hear him, her eyes were on the girl in the first row, again. She noticed that her glasses weren't on her nose, like always. They rested on her head, preventing a strand of hair from falling in her eyes. She also saw the device on the side… A recorder. Was the beautiful brunette's attention fading? A hint of pride grew in her when she imagined that it was because of her. They had never talked, it was only a game, a chase… And even with that, they had only crossed each other's sight a few times.

Again, the class went by in an instant. Emma was already gathering her stuff, without letting the brunette out of her sight. She didn't even know why, she didn't want to talk to her. Not yet. But there was always this curiosity… The one that wants to make sure there are two players in this game.

Regina looked at her – Emma even thought that she saw a wink – before she disappeared in the crowd of students. In a few seconds, she was outside the building.

The blonde smiled and rushed to the back exit, she was outside too, running to the main door of the faculty. And there she was, climbing into a black Mercedes driven by an old man, probably her father. She recovered from her run and watched the car pass in front of her.

Regina knew who she was. She had done some research. She was not the type of person who let her attention draw to everybody. And yet, Emma Swan was pretty much everybody. Someone completely ordinary without much of a history. She had alerted her curiosity. The blonde who interested Regina enough to make her learn her name. She smiled, hidden by the tinted glass, and whispered: "See you on Monday, Miss Swan."

* * *

On Monday morning, Emma's bad habits were back. She was late, very late. The weekend had been long; she had to make up for all the classes where she hadn't been attentive. The few free moments she had had were dedicated to the brunette. Of course, she didn't know her name, but to be honest, she didn't care. She imagined a regal name, to go with her appearance. She wouldn't be disappointed.

Her alarm had rang way too soon for her. Five hours of sleep; it definitely wasn't enough. She promised herself to go have a coffee during the break, she wouldn't want to have five hours of class without it.

When she came into the room, the brunette was in her seat and, unlike the past week, and looked at her. Her sight crosses hers, full of disdain – again and forever -, of anger and also… Relief. As if Regina was furious that she dared interrupt their little game, almost like she had worried for the blonde. Emma grinned at the very thought of the brunette worrying. She sat at the back of the auditorium and fell asleep a few minutes later.

When the break came, she was woken up by the other students. They wanted to go and she took advantage of the moment to grab a coffee. It was more than needed. She took the coffee from the machine and enjoyed the warmth it diffused.

"Nectar of God." She thought.

She chose to let it cool before drinking and came back to the auditorium to sit and, hopefully, catch sight of the brunette. But when she was about to enter the room, she collided with someone who was leaving. She yelped when hot coffee spilled on her clothes.

"Dammit, couldn't you be more car-…"

She raised her head and noticed who she just ran into. The first row stranger, covered with coffee.

"It's customary to let people out before we enter a room, Miss…"

"Swan."

Of course, Regina already knew that. But she hated to reveal herself too soon.

"I was looking at my coffee, I didn't notice there was someone there."

It wasn't really an apology but it did the trick for now.

"I guess I'll just have to take my shirt to the pressing."

Emma's eyes wandered over the brunette's body to see the coffee stain on the white shirt.

"It appears so. I'm sorry."

Regina raised her hand to shush her and continued her path. She seemed angry, exasperated… amused?

"Wait! What's your name?"

For the first time, the girl smiled at her. But it wasn't a kind or sweet smile, it was an evil smirk.

"You do not deserve to know, Miss Swan."

And with that she went, leaving Emma feeling dumb and especially… Without coffee. The break was over, she didn't have time to grab another coffee. With a grimace she returned to her seat, shivering from the cold because of her wet t-shirt.

The class was long, very long. Emma couldn't sleep, she failed to focus and she didn't warm up. The only thing in her head seemed to be the brunette's voice. It was like she imagined it, cold at first, slightly less at the end of the conversation. Even if the exchange was short, it had been long enough for her to catch the nuances of her voice and the different intonation. And that smile, that damn smile! Emma could see it over and over, with every little detail. She had never seen anything like that before. It was obviously amused, playful, mocking. She loved it. She wanted to see it again, to infuse herself with it. She wanted to picture it, draw it, remember it and especially… she wanted to be the one who provoked it. But her smile was only the first step. What she hoped for now was to make her laugh. Because she was certain that it would be beautiful.

Fresh air reminded her of her wet t-shirt. When she thought about it, she felt rather stupid. It really wasn't the way she had imagined her first contact with the brunette. But Emma Swan was clumsy, and today was no exception.

Finally, after two long hours of torture, the class was over. The blonde didn't dare to go down the stairs, she didn't want to cross her sight. She imagined it full of disdain and anger. Even more so than the first day. So she waited until the auditorium was empty, and to her biggest surprise, it was only her there in the end. Her and a particular brunette, seated in the first row. She smiled and stood up. It was her turn to run away. She went to the back door and when she was about to pass through, Regina turned her head and looked at her. Her sight dared her to go out or pass before her. Emma winked at her, small but still visible from where the brunette stood, and then she left.

It was Regina's turn to run now. She followed the blonde quickly, not running though. She was better than that; the great Regina Mills did not run after anybody. But she walked quickly, her look determined. When she arrived at the entrance of the building, she headed towards the road. And then she caught sight of her. Her long blonde hair flowing with the wind, hands in her back pocket.

Emma passed in front of her, her skateboard carrying her on the slope. When she passed by her, she raised her hand and made a military salute. It meant "See you tomorrow for the rest of the game." And Regina understood perfectly. She walked to her father's car and got in. "Game will continue tomorrow." She thought.

* * *

On Tuesday morning, Emma made a particularly intense effort. She went to bed early the night before to be up early the following morning. She had decided to arrive early enough to surprise the brunette and sit a little closer to her.

When she entered the room, only the first four rows were full. She crossed Regina's sight, who didn't even try to escape it anymore. She smiled shyly but was met with no response. Apparently, the party was not that far yet. She went to the only remaining seat on the fourth row and put her stuff on the table. From where she was, her view of Regina was almost perfect. She saw her partially turned away. She could distinguish the shape of her nose, the details of her eyes, the sophistication of her hairstyle. So she stared, she noted, she wanted to remember. She wanted to know everything about this girl whom, in 0only a few days, had become an obsession.

Then the teacher came into the auditorium and started his class. For once, she took notes, she was the studious student for a class. Because re-watching classes when she got home took time, time that she needed to sleep if she wanted to arrive even earlier at the faculty. It was her new goal: she had to arrive in class before Regina Mills did.

* * *

This new goal wasn't easy to reach. Each day of the week, Emma woke up earlier and earlier. She was now one of the first students in front of the building every morning. There were only about thirty waiting in front of the door one hour before class. But each time she entered the auditorium, Regina was already there, ready to work.

Their looks crossed every morning, and Emma suspected that the brunette had discovered her plan. Each morning she held back her smile, and the blonde found it sad, because such a beautiful smile shouldn't be hidden. But at the moment, she couldn't do anything about it. She settled for being herself. One day, even Regina Mills couldn't hold back her smile. At the end of each class, it was a new game of cat and mouse that began. The first to go daring the other to catch her, only to cross sights when they are out. The idea is stupid, the prize even more so. But apparently, neither girl is ready to stop.

Emma started to lose faith in her capacity to arrive before Regina. It was only on Friday that the hope was reborn. For the first time in two weeks, Emma had the chance to see her place her things on the table. For the first time, Emma had brushed her goal. She looked at the clock; twenty to seven. One hour and twenty minutes before the class began. Great, on Monday she would come one hour and thirty minutes early. And for the first time, she would arrive before Regina.

* * *

Monday morning seemed to be a bad time for Emma. Her good resolutions from the past week were gone. She was late. Well, it wasn't really her fault. Her neighbours had held a party, she couldn't sleep. But Regina didn't know that. So when she passed through the door of the auditorium just before eight, she looked at the brunette with an apologetic smile. She didn't receive an answer, not that she was waiting for one, really. The only thing that Regina did was look away from her to focus on the teacher. She couldn't explain why she was upset by Emma's attitude. They were playing a game where breaking the rules was excluded, and she started to understand that Emma Swan was not one to play fair.

Emma was sitting closer than usual. She could still catch sight of her mysterious brunette. She was angry at herself for being late; there was a kind of silent promise made to the other girl. A kind of pact with the Devil, agreed upon by both students. "Tomorrow," she said to herself. And then tomorrow came.

* * *

When Regina arrived the next morning, she was not surprised to find all the lights off in the auditorium. It was always her who turned them on before the caretaker opened the main door of the faculty. Few people knew that the back entrance was opened twenty minutes earlier than the main one. She always felt like she was the keeper of a great secret when she used it to access the room.

What surprised Regina was that there was already someone at her seat this morning. Someone who didn't take the time to turn the light on, someone who just took time to place their things on the table and leave the room. She couldn't help but frown. Nobody has ever taken her seat, and nobody has ever come earlier than her. Her heart missed a beat, because deep inside her, she knew that there was only one person who could do this. The only person who had made it her goal.

To answer her silent question, the auditorium's door opened to let a young girl in. Her long blonde hair was in a messy ponytail; in her hand she held a coffee and looked at it like it was the eighth wonder of the world. Noticing someone else's presence, she raised her eyes, her sight landing on Regina. A proud smile grew on her face and for the first time, Regina returned it. No one talked. Emma just walked back to her seat, followed by Regina who sat next to her. As ridiculous as it sounded, the view was completely different when you moved to the seat next to her. All her points of reference changed. Her attention was not on the board anymore, but on the strong smell of coffee escaping from the girl next to her. She didn't have the audacity to turn her head, she felt her look on her and didn't want to cross it. Her deep green eyes might drown her.

After a few silent minutes, the first students came into the room. If they were surprised to see that Regina was not alone and not in her seat, nobody said anything. It was seven in the morning, they all wanted to finish their night.

When she was sure that nobody was paying attention to them, Regina turned towards the blonde, her evil mask in place.

"I'm amazed to see that you can be on time, Miss Swan."

The use of her family name made Emma smile.

"And me, to succeed being here before you."

She smiled. That ravishing smile which had made Regina fight for almost three weeks not to answer it.

"However, I'm disappointed to see that the only thing you found to do was to steal my seat."

Emma's look returned to her coffee.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. It appears that your throne has been despoiled to you."

She couldn't hide it anymore, the smile grew on her face and she couldn't think to do anything but put her glasses on.

"I am far from being a Queen, Miss Swan."

"I'm not so sure about it…"

Regina blushed lightly but had enough control over herself to hide it.

"So tell me, Your Majesty…"

The brunette turned her head and considered her with a questioning look.

"Did I earn the right to know your name?"

There was no amusement in the blonde's sight anymore. The answer to the question seemed to be a life matter to Emma. Like the aim of the last three weeks had been only this simple information.

She smiled sincerely, without any further playing.

"Looks like the magic word is missing."

A little laugh came out of Emma and never before had Regina wanted to kiss someone this much. Because this girl was attractive, and because she had played the seduction game with her. That today, it wasn't only a matter of looking, but talking and acting. She couldn't help but think that she had finally found someone up to her.

"Please?"

The brunette nodded, the smile still on her face. She held out her hand and whispered:

"Regina Mills."

To her biggest surprise, Emma didn't shake it. She took her hand to her mouth and kissed it lightly.

"Pleased to meet you, my Queen. Emma Swan, at your disposal."

And for the first time, Emma heard Regina laugh. It was exactly how she imagined it. Powerful and soft at the same time. She was lulled but also shaken by it, she didn't want it to end but prayed for it to stop. Because she didn't yet understand what this laugh did to her. But finally, she doesn't really care, because she feels wonderful.

* * *

 **So, just for reminder: THIS IS A ONE-SHOT. I know, there is no real SwanQueen but I do like to think that their connection is not physical but really deeper than that. That's what I wanted to show. Two strangers that communicate only by looks. Love it!**

 **I hope you liked it as much as I did and have a great day all!**

 **Xoxo, SQF :3**


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